<font size=4>Only a _______ would notice!</font>
<p>
<p>Writes WALT of Wayzata: “Just a correction to The Linguidiot [BB, 4/9/2014]:
“Clearly the bale Jane Russell leaned against was straw, not hay. Only a _________ would notice.”
<p>BULLETIN BOARD SAYS: You can say that again!

Writes John in Highland:
“My parents lived in Kalamazoo, Michigan, during World War II. Each had gotten work there after being in college during the Great Depression.

“Mom had not been able to afford the tuition during her last year at St. Catherine’s in St. Paul, but the good nuns told her class that they should graduate and get jobs, and they could pay their debt when they got back on their feet. She had gotten a teaching job at Nazareth College in Kalamazoo.

“Ed had been in engineering at Notre Dame, and he also found a job in Kalamazoo. He worked as a mechanical engineer in the auto industry.

“They met at a dance at the CYC. (Remember Catholic Youth Centers?) They dated, got married in 1940, and rented a small house with a single garage.

“When WWII broke out, Ed was exempted from the draft because he worked in what was termed a ‘necessary occupation.’ The automakers were hard at work building cars, jeeps and tanks for the war effort.

“From time to time, Ed would come home with a money-making scheme. Mom would not say anything, allowing Ed to play with his inventions and contraptions.

“At one point, a guy he knew sold him a machine that cut old tires into strips that could be woven into a doormat. Ed made a few mats, but the machine kept breaking down. Finally, the machine quit for good and could not be repaired. Mom retained her composure as their poor old Ford sat out in the snow and cold. It would not fit in the garage because of the nonfunctional doormat machine and the stacks of old tires.

“As the war continued, it was impossible to buy new cars, so people hung on to their old cars and maintained them. One of the hardest things to find was tires. The only thing that people could do was patch the old tires and drive on them until they wore through the treads and blew out.

“This was Ed’s time to shine. He quickly became the most popular guy in the neighborhood as people discovered the gold mine of old tires that he was more than willing to share. They didn’t care if the tires were bald or leaked air. The leaks could be repaired, and people became experts at patching and repatching old tires.

“Ed chuckled when he recounted the story for me. He didn’t say if he had come out ahead selling the mats or the tires, but I always thought that the point was to let me know how Mom had put up with his experiments.”

Now & Then

Gramma Deb of White Bear Lake: “The paper across the river had ‘More moms are staying home’ as their headline.

“As I am OTD, I was a stay-at-home mom. The headline made me laugh. I have said all along that if couples were willing to live on the financial level that we did, most moms would be able to stay at home if they wanted to.

“Remember? Never fast food; it was … too expensive. Never a flashy car; too expensive. New countertops? New appliances? (Only if the old one was beyond repair.) New furniture, man toys, nail salons, spring breaks to Mexico? Well, you get my drift. Too expensive.

“Entertainment was family birthday parties (not extravagant stuff: a cake and pin-the-tail), card games with friends (who brought their kids with them), potluck dinners at the church, sledding, picnics, swimming, some tent camping, and, for the women, coffee gatherings some mornings with the neighbors.

“To young women, this must sound very boring, and perhaps it was — but I remember being happy, and my kids were certainly happy as we read books and had big outings to the library. There was security in the sameness of daily life: the same TV show you got to watch as you ate your lunch, and then nap time, and then the kids in the neighborhood you’d better get along with because there were no ‘play dates,’ and the kid coming in the door yelling: ‘Mom, can I have a cookie?’

“Boy, were we broke … but it was a good life.”

What’s in a name? (responsorial)

Nawlinsborn: “I read with interest the Bulletin Board letter about a woman having the traditional man’s name Christopher [BB, 4/3/2014].

“I am a woman, and I was blessed (or cursed) with the name Dale. I was named after Roy Rogers’ wife, Dale Evans. (Interestingly enough, his name wasn’t really Roy and her name wasn’t really Dale.)

“In any given month, while transacting business, using a credit card, dealing with junk phone calls or junk mail, it is usually assumed that Dale is my husband. I have a perfectly girly middle name: Elaine. But even including it in correspondence, I have gotten return mail addressed to ‘Mr. Dale….’ Argh!

“With all of the ‘creative’ names given to children in recent years, this name ‘guessing game’ will surely get even more mystifying.”

‘Tis the season … still? (responsorial)

Bloomington Bird Lady: “After reading about [Anne Nonny Mouse‘s] 12-foot tree and the possibility of using it for multiple-season decorating [BB, 4/7/2014], I just had to suggest another alternative.

“Sometimes smaller is better, especially for small families. There are just two 81-year-olds here, and for several years we’ve gone to a tree farm to cut our own — not as easy as it used to be, I might add. We cut a 6-foot Fraser Fir, get it wrapped in mesh, and haul it home — in the trunk, with lid tied down.

“Fast-forward to three weeks later. Tree has smelled wonderful, its water replenished twice a day, and is getting buds!

“With the cold and snow lasting so long, it has stood welcoming birds ever since January. OK, so now it’s not so lovely — brown, no snow holding it up (thank goodness!) — and is rolling around waiting to be recycled when we can find time to cut it into pieces.

“We are thankful we could again invite the evergreen smell into our little house, but now … call the decor police. It’s time!”

The Permanent Maternal Record

In reply to Peggles of Golden Valley, whose Wednesday note merited a “WARNING! Serious threat to contented dining ahead,” here are two more notes that richly deserve the same WARNING!

The Other Princess: “My 82-year-old mother taught me a slightly different version of the same song:

“I also have lot of old Girl Scout songs going through my head, and now, when I think of it, they don’t make a lot of sense, but oh how we thought they were so cool. This may stir up some old Girl Scout songs … heavens, even Boy Scout songs (did they sing?) … for possible BB readers.

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